PARIS: From the grand complexes of Seine-Saint-Denis to the beautiful neighborhoods of Paris, those living at the forefront of events at the 2024 Olympics are showing little enthusiasm six months before the event, but rather a sign of daily constraints .
At the northern entrance to Paris, the only Saint-Denis canal separates the Stade de France from the slums of Franc-Moisin, but its grand towers, currently undergoing renovation, are currently at odds with the Olympic dream.
Samia Achoui, who tries to save money on travel every summer, had simply forgotten that the event, awaited since her assignment in Paris in 2017, would finally take place from July 26th to August 11th. “I completely ignored the fact that the games existed,” says the 61-year-old accounting secretary with a smile.
She wouldn't mind attending events, but “given the price of admission is too high,” she adds without rancor, she'll be content with “the applause.”
“Not at all» leave…
Jean-Pierre Bagassien won't miss the cheers at athletics events: he lives in a building between the stadium and the highway.
Escape the crowd that he can no longer endure at his age? “I would like to go, but I don’t have the means,” breathes the 64-year-old.
With his hat pulled halfway over his face, 24-year-old Achraf hangs around in the town of Franc-Moisin, which is plagued by drug trafficking. “If the games are close, maybe I could find work,” he hopes, stretching his arm towards the stadium.
In the city center of Saint-Denis, 70-year-old restaurateur Antoine Bento is hoping for the same dynamic as during the Rugby World Cup in autumn 2023: the animations and huge screens had boosted his sales. “Hiring extras, paid by the week” is already his plan.
To a friend at the table who complained in advance about too many people gathering on public transport, he replied that the event “will make France and the neighborhood shine.”
Nordine doesn't want to hear about the games anymore. “Let’s get rid of it as quickly as possible!” asserts the native of Saint-Denise, who did not want to give his last name.
The sixty-year-old fears that gentrification around the capital will accelerate. “The new apartments that are being built in Saint-Ouen (sports village, editor's note) will not be for the local people,” complains Nordine against “the wounds (…) that daily increase the prices for have increased everything.” .
… “Everyone will go”
In the heart of the capital, a much more upscale district, Paris's 7th arrondissement, is also preparing to become the center of the world for two weeks.
Several events take place on the Champ-de-Mars: beach volleyball in a purpose-built stadium at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, judo and wrestling at the Grand Palais Ephémère. Further east, archery takes place on the Esplanade des Invalides.
But the enthusiasm around the Iron Lady is waning.
“I won't be there, it's the middle of summer,” says Zoe Ben Amar, sales manager for events, for whom the Olympics won't change “much” from their usual vacation.
Like many others, she regrets the ticket prices. “Parisians are there to pay taxes, but not to be associated with this event,” criticizes the 48-year-old, convinced that “everyone will leave.”
Wearing a blue hat and coat, Catharina Wulf announces in a delicious German accent that she will be renting out her accommodation to people she knows… The Olympics? “I don’t care,” says this elegant Parisian who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years.
Skepticism also infects the youngest. “It’s already a bit of a hassle to take transport every day, so…” says Guillaume, 19, a business school student.
In this right-wing district under the leadership of Rachida Dati, the opponent of PS mayor Anne Hidalgo, the AFP has, unsurprisingly, collected almost exclusively hostile opinions.
Antoine Heslot, 32, a real estate investment fund manager, is almost an exception when he says he will spend “maybe a weekend here” during the Olympic fortnight.
“Scarlet” traffic
Even in the 7th century, the tone among the traders was logically somewhat better. “We expect more people” than in a normal summer, when Paris is a “dead trading zone,” said Benjamin Perronnet, a 37-year-old wine merchant.
But the main fear remains the same: traffic restrictions.
If the renowned restaurants are “happy” because they are full, “we will deliver, but it will be difficult,” summarizes Jean-Marie Boëdec, owner of a butcher shop, who fears that the “scarlet” zones where cars happen, be banned. unless exempted.
The protected area in which the movement of motorized vehicles must be encouraged – the blue zone – covers half of the district, while the red zone concerns the immediate surroundings of the Eiffel Tower.
The presentation of receipts for entry into the latter causes unrest among traders and residents alike: “The QR code is very scary because it is a little reminiscent of the containment of Covid-19,” emphasizes Zoe Ben Amar.